Women in the Silent Film Era

During the silent era, women had roles in producing, directing, and running studios, and they wrote the outlines for about half of the films that were produced. Many were pioneers of film technology, but they didn't get recognition for their efforts before the devices became popular and other people took credit for them. In hindsight, women of the industry often got paid more than men, like Frances Marion who was the country's highest-paid screenwriter and also the founding vice president of the Screen Writers Guild. It's important to point out that most of these women in the industry were white, as any women of color were kept out of the industry, unless they got involved in an independent film. Only ten black women are factually known to be apart of the industry during this time, but even they held positions of creative control and some even managed their husbands' careers.